You are here

Search in collections

This magnificently malevolent mask directly manifests a powerful spirit being that helped a shaman mediate between the worlds of matter and spirit. It is an octopus, identified by the sucker disks on its cheeks and its peaked, beak-like mouth. Like shamans, the octopus can transform itself – it squeezes its often enormous body into extremely narrow crevices, and to elude danger, it releases ink and changes the color and texture of its skin.